A close and faithful servant, long gone but now returned, stands in the shadow of his master's castle. Joy and triumph fill his undead heart as he enters through the servants' entrance into the heart of the castle, wher his master waits.

The Bat King stands near a window, staring out into the darkness that surrounds the castle. A small bat flies in through the window and lands on his gloved fingers. He pets the creature on the head with his left index finger for a few moments before releasing it into the castle.

"It brings warmth to my cold unbeating heart to see you're still around. I had feared you were among those who had perished in my absence. I did not realize how long I would be out of commission for. It seems with me, our once glorious empire has fallen to rubble like the castle around us. This is...unacceptable."

"That is what I like to hear. But in our early stages we must remember to stay on the side of caution. Leave the outside alone until we have the appropriate numbers. We cannot afford to attract any unnecessary attention for the time being."

"Then I shall contact him posthaste. By your leave, milord." Bowing, he walks off down the hall, sweeping up cobwebs and grabbing wall hangings to be dusted out.

Timeskip

Two weeks later, the castle is already in a much more suitable state. There comes a ringing from the door. Jacques, ever faithful, opens the door. "Mr. Khasm. How pleasing to find you here on such short notice. Who is that, if I may ask?"

The wraith hovers above an expressionless mortal figure with very pale features. In fact, upon further examination, the man appears to be... "Dead. This man learned a bit of necromancy. Not enough to overpower me, oh no, so I brought 'im. Delectable, don't you think?"

"...As always, your taste disappoints me. But if you wish him to be added to our cause, under your command, very well. Don't let him cause any messes." Jacques turns stiffly and heads back down the hall, polishing the chandelier as he passes underneath it.

Alyn Khasm floats around, inspecting the interior of the castle. Nodding in satisfaction, he talks to his puppet. "Ohohohoho... This should be fun, Mr. Croix. Imagine all the tasty souls we'll grab up in jars, oh yes, what fun! I can hear them out there crying out for me. Ooh, maybe we'll see your siblings out there. Wouldn't that be fun, Mr. Croix?" He exerts a strange force on the undead man, causing the head to bob up and down in affirmation. "I agree, tee hee! I can't wait to show them mortals the what for..."

"Business? Oh, no, Mr. Croix doesn't do any 'business' anymore, his body runs on magic, not food. He just follows me around, helps me interact with physical objects!" The wraith enters the body of Mr. Croix, and it becomes animated. "This way I can knock on doors instead of just floating through them. Like a polite gentleman. I assume you must be Lord Antasma?"

"Ordinarily I find chaos to be distasteful, but these are not ideal circumstances. Our kind have been mercilessly hunted for thousands of years. You're free to cause as much chaos as you'd like on the mortals. As long as you do not lose sight of our ultimate goal. And of course, keep an eye out for potential allies."

"As long as you are capable of following orders, you will be fine. For now it would be best for you to get acquainted with the area. This is to be our home base. I expect everyone to know it like the back of their hands, or whatever appendages happen to be applicable. Once you've done that I will have some tasks for you to complete."